Pages

Sunday, February 17, 2013

President Obama Plans to Increase Preschool Opportunities

President Obama knows how important preschool is for underprivileged children. This is not just an education issue, but an important economic issue as well. Studies suggest that for every dollar spent on preschool there are between $7 and $10 in savings. How can we not make this investment with a return like that?

It does turn out that the preschool advantage is pretty specific to underprivileged children. That is to say that children from wealthy or even upper middle class families do not benefit as much from preschool. This is because they are already getting a lot of the skills taught in preschool at home. It is also true that the positive affects of preschool tend to diminish over time. Some Republicans point to this fact as a reason not to invest in early childhood education. I, however, believe that this is just a sign that more needs to be done continuously to help students keep the gains they made in preschool. One or two years in a high quality preschool program will not stop the poverty cycle alone, but it is a great start.

What do you think? Should we invest in preschool for our underprivileged children? Do you believe that preschool can make a difference?

Share your thoughts! This is one of my favorite subjects and I can't wait to hear what you think (even if you respectfully disagree :)).